#24: The Lost Daughter Revealed
Cecelia said the months of planning had been a trial, meant to prove Freya belonged beside her son, and then she spoke a name that altered the air between them: Eleanor. The tears in her eyes were not theatrical; they rose from a place that had stayed locked for years. Freya felt a mix of confusion and concern, but did not interrupt.
Cecelia continued with a steady voice that trembled at the edges. Leon once had a sister, and Cecelia once had a daughter. Eleanor disappeared at fourteen on a summer afternoon and never returned. Searches combed the lake and fields, and hope shrank into ritual silence.